CALGARY -- With the pressure off, a few hundred very merry Santas enjoyed their day off Wednesday by taking to the slopes at Banff's Sunshine village.
Over 400 skiing Santas revelled in some of the best skiing conditions all season, after Banff Sunshine received 118 cm of 'fresh champagne powder' over the past five snowy days leading up to one of the whitest Christmases in recent memory.
To top it off each Santa (and staff) enjoyed a Christmas gift of their own: free skiing.
"It's our Christmas tradition to offer free skiing to anybody who dressed up, head to toe, as Santa, Mrs. Claus, Rudolph, The Grinch -- and this year, we even had a full Christmas Tree," said Banff Sunshine Village media and brand director Kendra Scurfield.
It made for a surreal sight on the ski hills, and is also helping to build a tradition of entire families donning Santa suits to hit the slopes on Christmas day.
"This year, we saw entire families get into the skiing Santa spirit," Scurfield said. "It was a blast to see hundreds of Santas decorating our Rocky Mountain slopes."
Founded in 1929, Banff Sunshine Village draws hundreds of thousands of visitors from around the globe who come to experience up to 30 feet of snow a year.
